The object of the game two-up is for a spinner to spin two coins so they both land with a "head" uppermost and the spinner enters a bet which is covered by one of the other players. Other participants, and the spinner, can also enter side bets against each other on whether the coins will fall "heads" or "tails". In this game, if one coin falls heads and the other tails, there is no result and the coins are re-spun. Whilst in this specification I shall refer to coins having heads or tails, it is to be understood that any flat token, preferably circular, having differentiable markings on opposite sides can be used.
During the period whilst he is spinning, the spinner can, before each spin, withdraw some of the money which is held by the house.
In this conventional game, where a spinner spins three heads in a row, the house takes 10% of all money bet on the particular spin.
There have been proposed modifications of this game, for example that used in Australian casinos, where the spinner must spin three heads consecutively, or spaced by mixed heads and tails, before he can withdraw any of the money won. In this game, if mixed heads and tails are spun five times consecutively, all money in the ring is lost.
Both of these games have disadvantages as far as the players and the appropriate licensing authorities are concerned, the disadvantage in the first game being that it is necessary for the house commission to be taken from bets standing in the ring and the second, which is basically a disadvantage to the players, is that the whole of their bets can be lost on an unsuccessful run of mixed heads and tails.
A further disadvantage is that, in order for the game to maintain the attention of the players and to be exciting, it is necessary that the coins, which are thrown from a "kip", a flat piece of board held in the spinner's hand, should spin satisfactorily so the result is in doubt when the coins strike the floor of the ring. To do this takes a skill which is often not possessed by a novice.